


Friend Like Me

by JadelynTate



Category: Eureka (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Assistant Darcy Lewis, Clint Barton & Darcy Lewis Friendship, Crossover, Darcy Lewis-centric, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Slow Build, Slow Mo Love, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-01
Updated: 2016-10-14
Packaged: 2018-07-28 14:42:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7645003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JadelynTate/pseuds/JadelynTate
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When she's offered the chance to research the Einstein-Rosen Bridge at a top secret town in Oregon, Dr. Jane Foster brings along her Life Assistant, a cyborg security guard, and the occasional Godly boyfriend. </p>
<p>Eureka may never be the same.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This has absolutely no plan whatsoever. I've been binge-watching Eureka the last few days in between watching Marvel movies...which led to the very very late night, should have been sleeping inquiry of "What would Eureka think of Jane, Darcy, and Bucky?" 
> 
> If this turns you off, feel free to walk away until I finish. I won't judge you (mostly). ;)
> 
> If this doesn't turn you off, than note that as of this moment, this is set just after the events of Season 2, Episode 1 of Eureka and an AU verse where Civil War never happened (But Ultron did). Also, moving Eureka up so, obviously, they happen roughly the same time instead of in 2006.

Jack Carter had been having a fairly mild day. Ignoring the fact Taggart was having to round up some genetically modified penguins that had somehow gotten loose in the middle of town, nothing had yet exploded and/or caused massive damage to anyone or anything. 

The only thing currently on his plate for the afternoon was driving over to Amber Beach, the closest town to Eureka, to escort their newest scientist in. 

“So what do we know about this guy?” Jack asked Allison as they sat outside Cafe Diem, finishing lunch. He had about ten minutes before he had to head out and he’d take whatever he could get on the new arrivals before he did. 

“ _Her_ name is Dr. Jane Foster,” Allison corrected. “And she’s an astrophysisist working on creating an Einstein-Rosen Bridge.”

“What is this bridge and how is it going to cause mass damage to the town?” he asked and while his tone held a hint of humor, he was also dead serious. 

“To quote Jane when I asked her that same question, it’s a wormhole,” an unfamiliar voice said right before a figure dropped down next to them. “And it shouldn’t cause damage…unless Thor decides to drop by, in which case, hide all your coffee mugs.” 

“Uh…” Jack blinked, completely caught off guard at the buxom brunette currently watching him and Allison in amusement. “What?” 

“Who are you?” Allison asked, startled as well. 

“Darcy Lewis, I’m part of the Jane package,” she introduced herself. Darcy Lewis was young, mid-twenties if he had to guess, with sparkling blue eyes behind black framed glasses. Her curly black hair was half-hidden beneath a beanie and she was dressed in a baggy sweater and skin-tight jeans. All in all, she didn't look very threatening but Jack was well aware that looks could be deceiving. She smiled at them. “Speaking of which, Jane forgot to get on her flight and is going to be about four hours late.” 

Allison, in a move that was surprisingly rude for her, pulled out her cell and started tapping. Jack tried ignoring that to get some answers out of this Darcy Lewis. 

“What do you mean you’re part of the Jane package?” he asked and she snickered. 

“My official title, it’s in the paperwork and everything, is Life Assistant,” she informed him. “I make sure Jane eats, sleeps, and doesn’t blow up the universe.” 

“Is that possible?” he asked just as Allison abruptly relaxed. 

“No,” Allison assured him before turning to Lewis. “I apologize, I didn’t see the section in her contract about bringing in her own people.” 

“It’s just me and one security guard, though her boyfriend will probably drop by now and again,” she shrugged. Jack frowned, wondering why Foster had a personal security guard. Allison, on the other hand, looked truly contrite and Lewis waved it away. “And no problemo, it’s not the first time people see Jane’s coming and don’t look at anything after that.” Her head tilted and she smiled slightly. “In fact, you’re being a lot more polite about it than the people at Tromso were. I thought Jane was going to shank a bitch when she realized how they were acting towards me.”

To Jack’s surprise, Allison rolled her eyes. “Let me guess, Dr. Hewlett?” 

“You’ve met her then,” Lewis said, amused, and Allison nodded. “Was this before or after her breakthrough back in 2010?” 

“Before,” Allison answered.

Lewis nodded. “I have it on good authority she’s ten times worse now,” she said and Allison grimaced. To Jack, the brunette added, “If her ego was any bigger, it could raise the entire continent of Australia entirely on the hot air it pumps out.” 

“So, a female Stark,” he surmised and Allison shook her head. 

“Even back before her breakthrough, Dr Hewlett was more egotistical than Nathan at his worst,” she informed him and Jack shuddered in horror. “There’s a reason she’s never been invited back to Eureka—no one wanted to work with her.”

“Please keep her away,” he pleaded—in his admittedly limited experience, the egotistical scientists were the ones who almost always got him time in the medical facilities at GD. 

“No problem,” she assured him with a smile. She then turned to Lewis. “So Dr. Foster is going to be late?” 

“Yeah, I was visiting family in Colorado so I wasn’t around to make sure she actually got on her flight on time,” she grimaced. “She remembered she was supposed to leave about an hour after she was supposed to have gotten on the plane from New York. I never should have left Bucky alone to handle her. When I realized how late she’s going to be, I decided to come on ahead to check on everything before she got in.” 

“We can have someone go and pick her up from the airport,” Allison offered.

“You could, once I know just who you are,” she agreed and Allison blinked. 

“Sorry, I…it’s been a long morning,” she said, shaking her head. “I’m Dr. Allison Blake, Director of Global Dynamics. I’ll be Dr. Foster’s immediate supervisor while she’s with us.” 

“Sheriff Jack Carter,” he introduced himself. “I’m basically the Life Assistant for the entire town, only minus the eating and sleeping.” 

“So, you get to stop them from imploding the universe?” she asked, amused. 

“More or less.” 

“We’re not that bad,” Allison argued. Jack pointedly looked over at where Taggert was getting hissed at by a bright purple penguin that was standing guard over a dropped ice-cream cone. Allison winced. “Okay, that’s…” 

“Mild compared to what I get to deal with most days,” he said with a grin. Allison sighed but Lewis laughed, loud and bright, causing more than a few heads to turn. 

“You know, I think I’m gonna like it here.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack Carter, meet the remaining members of Team Foster!

Several hours later, Jack watched from where he’d sat outside as a new car pulled up at Cafe Diem. It was a rental, a nice one, and two people were in the front seats. Lewis, who’d returned from checking out the house GD had set Foster up with, bounced out of her seat and towards the vehicle, already talking a mile a minute about the town, the house, and why she was never ever letting someone named Bucky handle Jane alone on his own again. 

“And how did you forget about the flight too?” Lewis demanded, rounding on the man getting out of the drivers side. He had dark brown hair tied back in a low and short ponytail, vivid blue eyes, and he was tall, easily six feet, with lean muscles. The security guard, Jack surmised, watching the way the man held himself. It was similar to Jo and Jack was suddenly sure this man had been with the army. He looked slightly familiar but he couldn’t quite place him. 

“Steve,” the man answered simply and Lewis rolled her eyes. 

“Why are we here?” The woman now standing next to Lewis was a tiny, pretty brunette in jeans, a t-shirt that said “Never trust an atom, they make up everything” with a plaid button down thrown over it. Dr. Jane Foster presumably. She looked around in curiosity before focusing on Lewis. 

“Have you eaten?” Lewis asked instead of answering. “And plane food doesn’t count.” 

“Not since yesterday evening then,” the man told her. “I asked FRIDAY before we left for the airport.” 

Lewis nodded. “That’s what I thought,” she said. She waved a hand at Cafe Diem. “I’ve been told this is the best restaurant in town. We’re going to eat, then we’ll stop by the grocery store to pick up the essentials, then we’ll head to the house they gave us and sleep for eight hours.” 

“My lab—” Dr. Foster began but Lewis cut her off 

“Should still be there when we go into GD tomorrow,” she stated firmly. “Eat and sleep now, science later.” 

“But—” 

“No Jane.” 

“I could just—” 

“Jane.” 

Dr. Foster deflated, obviously giving up, and Jack was impressed. Lewis had barely had to do anything and the woman was listening. He wished he had more people who could do that with scientists—maybe then they’d have less disasters. 

He caught the eye of the security guard then. He was watching Jack with an amused look on his face, like he knew exactly what the sheriff was thinking. He raised his eyebrows at the man and the brunette snorted before he turned to Lewis. 

“Doll,” he drawled with a wicked grin. “This wasn’t exactly what I meant when I said we should get dinner together some time.” 

Lewis and Foster both rolled their eyes, not even remotely impressed with the charm oozing through his voice.

“Keep dreaming, Barnes,” Lewis retorted as Foster mumbled something too low for Jack to hear. Abruptly, the so-called Life Assistant turned to him. “Sheriff Jack Carter, this is Dr. Jane Foster and Bucky Barnes.” 

Jack was half-way to holding out his hand to them when he did a double-take at the second name. Mouth parting slightly in shock, he took a second, longer look at the man. “Holy shit,” he breathed out.

In many ways, living in the town was like living in a bubble where only certain outside events ever made an impact on the populace. But even they had heard about the survival of James “Bucky” Barnes, former Howling Commando and World War II soldier. Like anything that came out of the Avengers, it had been talked about, dissected, and generally gossiped about for weeks when it hit the news. Jack, who’d been a Captain America fan since he was a kid, had kept a close eye on anything Cap related, including Barnes. He’d bought a round at Cafe Diem when it came out the Cap from the Battle of Manhattan was the original and then he’d damn near cried when he found out what had happened to Cap’s best friend in the last seventy years. No one, no matter who they were, should have had to go through such hell. 

He abruptly turned to Dr. Foster. “Do I want to know why the Winter Soldier is here guarding you, ma’am?” 

Barnes was the only one to laugh—both woman scowled at his question. “I’m here because Thor heard some horror stories about this town from Tony Stark and refused to let Doc come alone,” the soldier answered with an amused grin. “Also, Steve.” 

Jack swallowed hard. “Steve as in…?” 

“Yeah,” Barnes agreed with a knowing smirk. “He heard the same stories and refused to let Darcy come without backup. He’s a bit obsessive about her safety.” 

And suddenly the scowls both women wore made sense. 

“Hello!” a voice called out and Jack turned to find Vincent had apparently seen the newcomers and had come to investigate. The chef introduced himself and then asked if they needed something to eat because he was closing in about forty-five minutes. 

“Yes,” Lewis answered before either of the other two could. Jack and his shock was dismissed in favor of food. “What’s your special?” 

As Vincent rambled on about chicken alfredo and broccoli, Jack watched, still slightly in shock, as Barnes and Lewis herded Foster into the restaurant. Or, rather, Lewis herded Foster inside and Barnes covered their six. 

Shaking his head as they sat in a far corner, with Barnes in a position to see every exit and entrance, Jack got up and wandered over towards his jeep to head home. 

Somehow he had a feeling Eureka had just gotten a whole lot more crazy.

~~*~~

“The place is secure,” Bucky said, coming back inside the house. He’d insisted on checking the building first, allowed them to go inside, then checked out the perimeter. When Darcy had been negotiating the contract with Global Dynamics, she had requested housing on the outskirts of town, if only because she knew Thor would be traveling to visit Jane. Jane’s primary lab was in Global Dynamics, though Darcy suspected they’d be spending just as much time at the off-site lab on the property. 

The house was nice, a lot more comfortable than the place they’d had in Tromso and had infinitely more space than the living areas of their place in New Mexico. It came fully furnished but the moving company Global had arranged for them had dropped off all their stuff in the living room, which meant Darcy knew what she’d be doing once they got Jane situated in her lab. 

“Three bedrooms,” Jane noted, coming back downstairs. “I don’t care which one I have.” 

“Bucky can take the master, it has its own bathroom,” Darcy suggested. “That way he doesn’t have to share with a woman.”

“Thanks, Doll,” Bucky drawled as Jane nodded in agreement. 

“So what’s the plan?” Jane asked, settling into the couch in the living room. Darcy raised an eyebrow as she flopped down on the opposite side and Bucky settled into the armchair. It was cramped and Darcy had to move a box to see Bucky, but it was comfy.

“What do you mean?” she asked, frowning. 

“I know better by now than to assume I can just waltz into my new lab anytime I want,” Jane said with a roll of her eyes. Darcy smiled smugly. “One, you can and have physically kept me away before and two, if I don’t listen, you tend to call Thor.” 

“Well, if you’d stop blowing shit up when you’re tired…” 

“I don’t blow up that much stuff!” 

Darcy and Bucky both gave her disbelieving looks and Jane shrunk in on herself a bit as they started taking turns listing the blow-ups in the past month alone. 

“Hey, that last one wasn’t my fault!” Jane interrupted Bucky and Darcy smirked as the scientist puffed up indignantly at the soldier. “That was completely Tony’s fault and everyone agreed!” 

Except Tony himself, Darcy recalled with a snicker. Speaking of Tony…

“By the way, I didn’t mention it before, but Tony told me the former head of Global Dynamics is his cousin,” she informed the two and they both snapped their heads to her. “Second cousins, technically, Nathan and Tony’s grandparents were brothers, but Nathan is apparently ‘almost’ as smart as him.”

“There’s another Stark here?” Bucky asked and he looked like he wasn’t sure if he wanted to be amused, horrified, or just resigned. Darcy smiled wickedly at him as Jane suddenly lit up. 

“I’ve read his work!” she exclaimed. “He won a Nobel for his work in…” 

Darcy’s eyes glazed over somewhat as Jane went into full on admiration mode. She’d done the same thing when she’d met Bruce and according to Selvig, she’d also done it in college when she’d met some guy named Deacon, who was a professor at the time. A quick glance across the room indicated Bucky was having the same general reaction as Darcy. 

“Okay, okay, you know what, admire later, sleep now,” Darcy finally broke in. Jane stopped mid-sentence, frowning at her. “Besides, you know neither of us understood a word of that very long, many syllable babble.” 

Jane continued frowning at her but then yawned, bright and wide and when she finally seemed to be able to see beyond her hand and the back of her eyes, Darcy was smirking at her. The physicist rolled her eyes. “Fine, fine,” she agreed and Darcy smiled as she led the way upstairs and the two women chose the extra rooms (Darcy made certain Jane got the bigger one). Going back downstairs, Darcy found Bucky standing near the window, watching the admittedly quiet street outside. 

“I’m going to check the perimeter again once you head upstairs,” he said before she could speak. “Remember what I told you before?” 

“Lock my doors, yes, I remember,” she agreed with an eye roll. “You do remember this town is top-secret, right?” 

“Global Dynamics is top secret, Eureka is not,” he corrected, not moving from his spot. “Doc was recognized in the diner.” 

Darcy’d seen the looks too, though Jane had appeared oblivious. 

“They know what she’s been working on, who she’s been working for the last several years,” Bucky continued. He finally turned around, eyes serious and solemn. “This is why I’m here, Doll, to make sure we don’t have another Mitchell situation.” 

“I know,” she agreed, shivering at the thought of Mitchell and what had happened. “I also know that here? Way safer from kidnapping than New York. The security is ridiculous.” 

“I’ll be talking with the sheriff about that tomorrow,” Bucky promised and though Darcy wanted to sigh in frustration, she also couldn’t help but laugh. 

“You just want to see him trip over his own tongue again when you mention Steve,” she accused and he gave her a slow smile. She shook her head. “Trolls, the both of you.” 

“No idea what you’re talking about, Doll.”


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy, Jane, and Bucky are escorted to Global Dynamics and Jane's new lab.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has not been checked for errors as I'm posting this quickly. Sorry about that.

The next morning was a rush of all three of them running around, trying to get everything they would need before meeting Sheriff Carter at Cafe Diem. Given the security measures in place, the town smokey was going to escort them to the actual Global Dynamics facility the first couple times. This had been in place before they’d actually arrived and not after, so Darcy figured it was either because of who Jane was or something they did with all new arrivals. 

Finally, ten minutes after they were supposed to actually have met with Carter, they arrived on Main Street. 

“I was just about to send my deputy to see if you got lost,” the sheriff greeted them when they pulled up next to him at the diner. 

“We didn’t get lost physically, but Doc did in her own head,” Bucky replied matter-of-fact. Jane didn’t hear, still lost in the science that had caused her to forget to put on her clothes and thus caused the delay. 

“I need someone to run the math with me, make sure I’m not seeing things,” Jane told Darcy, as if the two of them were still in the middle of a conversation. This wasn’t anything new to the former intern and so she nodded in acceptance. 

“I’m sure we’ll find some other big brains up at the labs who can double check your math,” she assured her. Jane frowned. 

“I know the math is solid, I just need to make sure it’ll actually do what I want it to do,” she said. “We don’t want another boom.” 

“Well, if you do have another boom, something tells me this town can handle it,” Bucky drawled with a wicked smirk. 

“Though if it’s all the same to you, let’s try to avoid any scenarios that would end in a boom, okay?” the sheriff requested as two women, one in another tan uniform and the other a teenage girl, snickered. Darcy watched as he glanced at the two a moment before insisting, “We have enough booms already in this town, let’s not add anymore.” 

As if to illustrate his point, something down the street seemed to implode. All three newcomers tensed. Instead of screams and running, however, Darcy was both fascinated and dismayed to see the townspeople more or less ignore it. Some had looked over in the direction it had come from but that was about it. She realized suddenly Jane was going to _love it_ here. 

“Jo?” the sheriff requested and the older woman nodded, an amused grin on her face as she headed down the street. Turning back to the trio, Darcy could see stress lines on the man’s face. 

“Dad, I still need to head to school,” the tiny blond reminded him and the sheriff looked up at the sky as if asking why him. He focused back on the three grinning newcomers. 

“Look, I know you want to get to Global and all but _someone_ ,” here he glanced at his daughter, “forgot to set her alarm and so she missed her bus.”

“We can stay here and grab something to go while you drop her off,” Darcy offered as the blond teen mumbled something about not forgetting. 

“Or we could just follow you,” Bucky suggested. “It couldn’t hurt to see more of the town.” 

“And we already ate,” Jane said, frowning as stared at Darcy. “Or did I imagine the donuts I thought you stuffed in my mouth this morning?” 

Sadly, it wouldn’t have been the first time Jane thought she’d eaten and it turned out to be a dream. This time, however, she hadn’t. Jane nodded, satisfied, and turned to the grinning sheriff and his equally amused daughter. 

“Well fine, forgive me for thinking we should have something to eat besides day old donuts and coffee,” Darcy said. 

“Oh that won’t do at all,” Vincent said, appearing out of nowhere and causing Darcy and Jane both to jump. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Bucky shaking in silent laughter at them and elbowed him. Vincent continued, insisting he had a few breakfast burritos already to go, he just needed to wrap them up, it would only take a few minutes. The Sheriff glanced at his watch and then at his daughter, who rolled her eyes. 

“It won’t kill me to miss the first fifteen minutes of Homeroom,” she informed him before turning to them. “And because sometimes he forgets his manners, which is way ironic, I’m Zoe Carter.” 

“Dr. Jane Foster,” Jane introduced herself. Her science mode seemed to have been temporarily derailed for now, for which Darcy was eternally grateful. It was always so much easier to get her to focus on things if she wasn’t lost in her science space. 

“Darcy Lewis.” 

“Bucky Barnes,” the soldier finished. He smiled charmingly at the teen. “Pleasure to meet you, Miss Carter.” 

“Zoe, please,” she requested and then side-eyed her dad “So you’re the one who made my dad spend the entire night last night reading my world war two history book.” 

The sheriff’s cheeks turned pink but otherwise he didn’t respond. Bucky chuckled. “It wouldn’t be the first time,” he told her and she smiled. “What grade are you in? Why don’t you want to go to homeroom?” 

“I’m a Junior,” she answered. She made a dismayed face. “And right now homeroom is in full science fair mode, which is so not my idea of a fun time.”

“I always liked science fairs,” Jane mused. “Though I wasn’t allowed to participate after sixth grade.” 

“I’m almost afraid to ask…” the sheriff said and Jane shrugged. 

“There was a mishap.” 

“Fire?” Darcy asked knowingly. 

“With an unexpected boom to boot,” Jane agreed with a grin and Zoe laughed hysterically as her dad groaned. Darcy and Bucky both snickered.

Vincent came back out then with three coffee cups and four wrapped burritos (two were for Bucky, apparently). After thanking him for the food (especially when he told them it was on the house) and declaring him a God at their first taste of a Vinspresso, they all piled back in their car and followed behind the Carter’s through town and to the high school. 

“Nice building,” Bucky noted as he stared up at it from the driver’s seat. Darcy glanced back at Jane, who preferred the backseat as she could spread out notes if needed. The woman had an odd look on her face.

“It’s nothing, just imagining what it’s like to grow up in a town like this, to go to school here,” she answered when Darcy asked. The smaller woman seemed wistful. “They must get so many opportunities…” 

“Yeah, but imagine what’s it like for the normal kids, the one’s who aren’t geniuses,” Darcy, always willing to play Devil’s Advocate, pointed out. “Something tells me that’s probably the same as being, like, the nerd is at a normal school.” 

“Outcasts,” Jane nodded, wistful look turning thoughtful as the sheriff headed away from the school, leaving his daughter on the side-walk talking to some friends. “I wonder where Zoe falls in that spectrum—from what she said, she doesn’t seem the science type.” 

“Maybe it’s just not hard science,” Darcy offered. “Like me—I understand your stuff to a point but that is so not my thing.” 

“Eureka’s supposed to have the best in everything, including medicine and educational opportunities,” Bucky noted. “All the teachers are probably highly educated.” 

“There are probably more doctorates in that building than I’ve ever met in my life combined,” Darcy realized, shuddering at the thought. “Thank God I didn’t got to school here.” 

“You’re working on your doctorate in political science,” Jane pointed out.

“Exactly,” she replied. “And I haven’t changed much since high school. So imagine a less put together me, with a minor case of pyromania to boot, in a school like this with an interest like that.” 

Jane and Bucky went silent a moment before they both burst into laughter. 

~~*~~

It took about forty-five minutes to get to Global Dynamics. Partly that was because of location and partly because Bucky had balked when they got to what appeared to be a broken bridge. They’d watched, sure the sheriff’s jeep was about to fall off, only for it to disappear altogether. 

“Hologram?” Darcy offered as Bucky had hesitantly inched forward. When they didn’t start tilting, he continued on until they found themselves on the other side of the bridge and could see the science complex spread out in front of them. “That is some cool shit, right there.” 

“Telescopes!” Jane began squealing about the telescopes she could see out the window, several of them. “I’m supposed to get my own.” 

“They must really want to see what you can come up with,” Darcy noted. “Also, holy crap the history this place must have seen…” 

“They started it right after the war,” Bucky noted. “Steve says he remembers the military camp though. They visited when he was touring.” 

Darcy and Bucky kept talking about what they’d heard about Eureka and Global as Jane practically salivated in the backseat. By the time they came to a stop, Darcy knew it was going to be a long, long day. 

“Welcome!” a voice called out and she whipped around to find Allison Blake coming over, a tall, ridiculously good-looking man keeping pace next to her. 

“Hellllllooo, salty goodness,” Darcy grinned. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Carter stumble, Blake quickly hide a smile, and the man in question smirk smugly. 

“Dr. Nathan Stark,” he introduced himself, holding out a hand first to Jane, then to Darcy. He notably didn’t offer it to Bucky, instead giving him a single nod before focusing back on her. “You must be Darcy.” 

There was a knowing glint in his eye that was eerily familiar and Darcy rolled her eyes. “The walking tin can tattled on me, didn’t he?” 

“I wouldn’t call it tattling,” Other!Stark said slowly with a grin that should be illegal. “More like helpfully advised me on how to not get killed by a Norse God or a World War Two soldier.”

“Which one?” Jane drawled with a wicked smirk, thus proving she wasn’t as deep in the science as Darcy had thought. 

“That’s a good question,” Other!Stark said, turning back to Bucky. Bucky just grinned back, hands going deep in his pockets as he rocked on his heels.

“Okay, well, I got you here,” Carter said and the five turned to see the sheriff turning awkwardly back towards his jeep. “I’m just gonna, uh, go find out what Jo had to go deal with.” 

“‘What Jo had to go deal with?’” Blake asked, pinning the sheriff with a stare. 

“Something went boom,” Bucky offered helpfully. 

“And for once it wasn’t our fault!” Jane added and Darcy couldn’t help but cackle at the pained look on Blake and Carter’s faces. Other!Stark was still smirking, though this time it seemed aimed more at Carter than them. 

“Go and deal with Lupo, Carter,” Other!Stark told the sheriff. “I’m sure Aly and I can take these three from here.” 

Darcy’s eyebrows rose at the tone and the way it was directed at the sheriff. Bucky and Jane looked at her before looking at each other. The three mutually decided to simply watch for now and gossip later when they wouldn’t be possibly overheard. 

“Vincent,” Bucky murmured in her ear as Other!Stark and Blake led them into atrium entrance of the main building. “We can talk to him tonight when we head back. Ten bucks says he knows everything there is to know in this town.” 

“Sucker bet,” she whispered back and Jane, who’d been close enough to hear them, snickered. Blake and Other!Stark didn’t seem to have noticed the byplay.

They got a full tour of the places they were allowed in, which was sections 1-3 and all the common areas, like medical and the cafeteria. Then they went down a hallway with windows on either side, which connected the main building to some out of the way labs. Out the windows there seemed to be outdoor gardens and picnic tables.

“Given who you said will be visiting, we thought you’d be more comfortable back here, away from the majority of the building,” Blake was saying as they stopped in front of a huge glass door near the end of the hall. Inside was a lab set up remarkably similar to the one Jane had been using at Stark Tower. Darcy could even see a couch in the back corner and a coffee bar! 

“We had input from Anthony,” Other!Stark told them when Darcy asked. He looked bemused by the mention of his cousin. “He seemed to think we couldn’t make your lab worth the stay and you’d go back to him as soon as you were able.” 

“Tony’s like that,” Jane shrugged, moving in to inspect some of the machines in the corner before moving on to a side door. She poked her head through it and stared a moment before turning to pin Darcy with a flat look. “I’m never leaving.”

Darcy frowned and poked her own head through the door and found an engineering lab where Jane could make as many machines to work her science as she could possibly want. They didn’t have something like this at the Tower, mostly cause Tony always wanted to build Jane’s machines for her. The astrophysicist had complained about not getting to tinker more than once since they’d moved to New York. 

“Tony’s going to hate you,” Darcy promptly told Other!Stark as Bucky took a look and groaned. 

Other!Stark smiled smugly back at her, completely ignoring the eye-rolling the woman at his side was doing. “That’s the plan.”

“I need to go and deal with Fargo,” Blake said then, apparently fed up with the conversation as she wished them good luck and said goodbye. As she headed back the way she’d come, Darcy heard her mutter something about Other!Stark being more like his cousin than he’d ever admit. 

“So!” Other!Stark said, clapping his hands together. “Anything I can help you with?” 

“Security,” Bucky said promptly. “Who has access to this lab?” 

“You three and Ally,” he replied. “I can only come in with you, not without.” 

“Didn’t you used to be head of Global?” Darcy asked, turning away from watching Jane salivate over all her shiny new toys to frown at Other!Stark. 

“Used to be’ being the operative words,” Other!Stark answered. His eyes tightened, a flash of pain and anger passing through them before he focused back on her. “My clearance isn’t as high as it was then.” 

“As long as you promise not to tinker with my stuff, I’d love your input,” Jane said, looking over at Other!Stark and holding out the equation she’d been working on all morning. “I have some math I’d like someone to look over anyway.” 

“Carter doesn’t want another boom and the math might make one,” Darcy added helpfully. Other!Stark smirked and promptly took the notebook out of Jane’s outstretched hands. 

While they two scientists talked through the equation, Darcy and Bucky wandered over to the coffee bar. 

“Dangerous?” Bucky asked, tilting his head in a manner she took to mean the building in general and not just the single scientist nearby.

Darcy glanced out a window to the multiple labs and telescopes she could just make out dotting the landscape. 

“Oh hell yeah.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jane, Darcy, and Bucky are slowly settling into Eureka...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was never thrilled with Abby Carter. I just...really don't like her. That may come out a bit here...Sorry.

Darcy quickly found that with Other!Stark around, she was needed twice as much. The good-looking scientist was almost as bad as Jane when he was knee-deep in the science and where she’d thought she’d get a break from dealing with more than Jane, she was very very wrong. It didn’t help either that unless some sort of accident or dire emergency came up, Other!Stark didn’t seem to have anything to really do at Global Dynamics. 

It took them a few days but eventually Darcy, Jane, and Bucky realized that quite a few of the scientists in Global were hesitant to work with Other!Stark, regardless of his credentials. Fargo, who made her twitch whenever he was nearby because she could practically _see_ mushroom clouds in his gaze, had explained it to her as best he could. 

_“It’s like, he’s really smart so people both want him to consult and to stay clear away so he won’t poke too many holes in their theories,” the assistant had told her. “Also, he used to be head of GD but he wasn’t good at the interpersonal aspect of it so a lot of people don’t care much about him.”_

_“And now that he’s not head of Global?” she’d asked._

_“He lost his job because Kim Anderson died in an experiment he was a part of,” Fargo admitted quietly. “Some people seem to blame him for that.”_

_“Was it his fault?” Darcy asked, frowning. She got the guilt vibe from Other!Stark but was it because it **was** his fault or because he **thought** it was? _

_“The DOD ruled in his favor, said everything pointed to it just being human error,” he’d replied. “All I know, though, is Dr. Stark does blame himself and Henry disagrees.”_

_“Henry?” she asked because this wasn’t the first time she’d heard of this Henry character. Vincent had mentioned him in passing, as had Sheriff Carter and Deputy Lupo._

_“You haven’t met him yet, then?” Fargo had asked. She’d given him a look and he winced. “Uh, Dr. Henry Deacon. He’s, well, the town handyman. He does a little bit of everything. He taught Dr. Stark and was dating Kim Anderson when she died.”_

The name had niggled at the back of Darcy’s head but before she could try and puzzle it out, an honest-to-God rhinoceros came racing past them in the corridor, Taggert hot on its heels. All thoughts of why the name Deacon seemed familiar disappeared as she had done her utmost best to avoid being trampled. 

Bucky was firmly on the scientist’s side, saying it was probably more he felt responsible rather than he was responsible. He’d mumbled something about recognizing the look in his eyes and Darcy and Jane had dropped the subject. Jane too thought it had just been an accident and the guilt was probably of his own making. She’d known too many good people who’d felt the same way when things didn’t go quite as planned, Banner being a prime example. 

Darcy agreed with them both, mostly because Carter had admitted to her when she’d mentioned it that Other!Stark was actually fairly obsessive about the safety protocols of the experiments done in Global. He might sometimes talk about science waiting for no one when something imploded, but Carter had noticed the safety protocols had always gotten a lot more strict every time someone had died when Other!Stark had been head of GD. 

The problem, he’d admitted wryly to her, was that the scientists always managed to find some new way to either ignore the protocols or their experiments resulted in booms no one, not even Other!Stark, had expected. 

~~*~~

“I hate the cold,” Bucky muttered as he came in one night, shivering a bit. He’d been checking the perimeter one last time before they settled in for the night. 

Jane looked up, frowning. “Aren’t we supposed to be in a heat wave?” she asked. 

“Well, someone forgot to tell the weather that,” he replied, waving a hand at the window. Now that Darcy was actually looking, there was actual frost on the glass. 

“What the…” she twisted to look at Jane. “Your boyfriend isn’t coming for a visit, is he?”

“He brings thunder and lightning, not snow,” Jane retorted, standing up to peer out the window. “That’s odd.” 

“Somehow, I don’t think this is normal,” Bucky said as the heater abruptly turned on. Darcy, who hadn’t realized just how cold it had gotten inside, enjoyed the rush of warmth. It was a marked testament of how strange their lives had gotten that neither Jane nor Darcy disagreed. The brunette glanced over at her scientist and protector. 

“We could start a fire,” she suggested, motioning to the fireplace in the living room. She brightened. “And I think we have all the makings for s’mores!” 

Jane’s eyes lit up but Bucky was looking blankly at her. She gave him a slow grin as Jane dashed into the kitchen for supplies. “You’re gonna love it,” she assured him. “Trust me.”

“Always, Doll.”

 

~~*~~

As she’d suspected, the s’mores were a huge hit for Bucky. She and Jane both had four each but the super soldier turned assassin turned protector had wolfed down nine in between texting Steve pictures and bragging about how good they were. 

By the time the next day dawned, Darcy was over the cold. It was freezing as they got into the car and headed down to the town. As they did so, however, Bucky voiced what all of them were thinking. 

“Why is it warmer here than it is at the house?” 

And it was, by almost forty degrees, warmer at Cafe Diem. Additionally, about half of Main Street was being pounded by pouring rain while the other half (where the cafe was) was full of bright sunshine. As they passed Carter and an unknown blond woman who was gaping at the spectacle, Darcy heard him explain it away as “Welcome to Eureka.” 

Jane and Darcy very carefully didn’t look at each other.

Bucky, on the other hand, didn’t even try to keep himself from laughing and earned himself a dirty look from the sheriff. 

“Hey Vincent, what’s the scoop?” Darcy asked as she passed by him at the front. 

“Carter’s wife is in town for Zoe’s birthday,” he reported promptly.

“The confused blond?” Bucky asked and Vincent nodded. 

“Jo says Carter wasn’t happy to see her,” he said right before he hurried off to deal with another customer. Jane, Darcy, and Bucky sat at the table they’d claimed as their own; it gave Bucky great line of sight to every part of the diner and was off in the corner so it afforded them a bit of privacy. Of course, that didn’t stop all of Jane’s very fervent admirer’s…nor Bucky’s, for that matter. 

“What did I tell you about guns on the table?” Jo Lupo demanded as she came stalking up to their table. Bucky blinked slowly and innocently up at her in response, the gun he’d put up to deter people glaringly obvious in front of him. 

“That it’s a tease and I shouldn’t do it?” 

“That it makes everyone uncomfortable,” she corrected with a huff. She paused and then added, “And yes, it’s a tease. What even _is_ that?”

“Stark’s,” Bucky replied with a wicked grin. Deputy Lupo paused a moment, realized he wasn’t talking about Other!Stark, and scowled. 

“I thought he stopped making weapons,” she said and Darcy could tell she really really wanted to get her hands on the weapon but wasn’t _quite_ courageous enough to take away the Winter Soldier’s gun. 

“What can I say? He just likes me,” Bucky winked. 

The deputy gave him another glare before stalking off again. 

“One day, she is going to shoot you and Steve and I are gonna laugh about it,” Darcy noted. 

“Me too,” Jane added. “I might even point at you when I do.” 

Darcy snickered as Bucky rolled his eyes at both of them. 

Deputy Lupo had been in awe of Bucky for all of five seconds before he’d made some smart-ass remark about women in the military he didn’t believe for a second. Ever since, the former special forces soldier had been nothing but barely civil whenever the two of them crossed paths. Some days she seemed to go out of her way to try and get Bucky for something. Bucky, of course, didn’t care one iota, though she knew he felt truly sorry about the crass comment. He’d tried apologizing only once and when it hadn’t helped, he’d refused to try again, claiming he wasn’t gonna go begging her for forgiveness when it was just a stupid comment and he’d already owned up to it. 

It didn’t help that Sheriff Carter and most of the two had been privy to his apology and were thus on his side. Most thought the Deputy was being unreasonable and couldn’t understand why she was holding a grudge. Darcy thought she probably had a pretty good idea as to the why but was waiting to see how long it took Bucky to realize Jo had probably grown up idolizing him. 

Until that moment, Darcy was content to watch and laugh and, yes, enjoy the moment Jo finally got over her fear and shot the cyborg. 

“Hey, uh, Dr. Foster?” The trio all looked up. Taking in the sight of Carter with the aforementioned blonde, Darcy decided after a minute of studying the woman that she didn’t like her. Something about the way she was looking around at everyone, the way she kept narrowing her eyes whenever her gaze landed on Carter…

“What can I do for you, Sheriff?” Jane asked politely, glancing quickly at the blond before focusing exclusively on him. It was rather rude of her but she was fairly certain the other brunette had come to the same first impression Darcy had. 

“I never heard back from you about whether or not you three will be at Zoe’s party,” he said, eyes flickering slightly. 

“We already have a gift we know she’ll like,” Bucky broke in with a smirk. Carter’s entire demeanor abruptly shifted as his eyes narrowed on the man. 

“But will I like it?” 

“Probably not,” Bucky grinned. 

“On the upside, Nathan’s gonna hate it too,” Darcy offered and was entertained for several minutes of the Sheriff debating in his head whether he should be pleased or nervous about what they’d gotten Zoe. 

“You, um, you know Zoe?” the blond broke in. 

“I’ve been helping her with her science experiment,” Jane offered. 

“And by helping she means she keeps calling Bruce whenever we see Zoe and then throwing her the phone,” Darcy drawled. Bucky snickered as Jane shrugged. 

“I’m an astrophysicist, not a biologist,” she said unapologetically. 

“Wait, you’re an astrophysicist?” Carter’s wife asked, staring in surprise. Next to her, Carter visibly winced at the obvious skepticism in his ex-wife’s voice. 

“One of the best in the world,” he said. “There was a ton of excitement when she agreed to come and work here for a while.” 

“Though part of that might have been the chance to see Thor,” Jane said dryly. To the confused looking woman, she added, “I’m dating the Avenger.” 

“You?” 

“Okay, well, we have to go and talk about some custody things, so I’ll put you three down as a yes,” Carter said, steering his wife away from the table abruptly. He turned back when she was distracted by Vincent to mouth an apology to them. Jane just waved it away. 

“I don’t like her,” Bucky said, frowning, once they were far enough away not to be heard. “And isn’t she supposed to be a psychologist?” 

“Yeah, I think that’s what Zoe said when I asked,” Darcy agreed. “For a shrink, she doesn’t seem to be very good at it.” 

“I heard she’s only come to get Zoe,” Vincent said, setting down their food. “To take her back to Los Angeles. Apparently there was an agreement in place for just one year here. Carter’s not happy about it but she’s not budging.”

He left again, having to deal with a demanding scientist at the bar. Jane, Darcy, and Bucky all looked at each other. 

“Bitter ex-wife?” she finally asked and both of them nodded. 

“Bitter ex-wife.”


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zoe turns sixteen and gets some surprise guests at her birthday party.

“So what’s this about an evil weather machine?” Darcy asked Carter as she neatly stepped in to grab him for a dance when his ex-wife left him completely hanging. Zoe’s party was in full swing, everyone laughing and joking. Jane was in the corner with Dr. Deacon, who’d shown up to her lab that morning to apologize for not finding her sooner. Darcy had known the name had sounded familiar and was pleased the doc was just as nice as Jane had remembered. They’d been getting caught up all evening. 

Bucky was taking great delight in needling Deputy Lupo. The poor woman kept needling him back on instinct, catching herself, scowling, and then doing it all over again. Darcy was fairly certain Bucky’s tactic at the moment was to win her over by annoying her. It was all very tugging-pig-tails-at-recess, only without the UST. Not for the first time was she having to complain to Steve that Bucky sometimes had the maturity level of a gnat. 

“Jealous scientist meets insecurity means I get to deal with a hurricane,” Carter replied and she gave him mental kudos for just going with it and not startling at her sudden invasion of his personal space. 

“We’re deep inland,” she pointed out as he twirled her on the floor. 

“Tell that to the weatherman.” 

She laughed. “Other than that, how you doing?” 

“Well, Abby is taking Zoe back to LA, Zoe is pissed I didn’t tell her about the deal in the first place, and your best friend seems to have stolen my best friend…and my deputy.” 

“I can only apologize for one of ‘em,” she replied cheekily. 

“Yeah, but which one?” he asked dryly. She laughed again and out of the corner of her eye she noticed not just that Abby Carter was watching them with annoyance but also that Nathan had a very similar expression as his gaze landed on the hand Carter had on her back. 

Huh. Well that certainly made things more interesting. 

She wondered absently if she should tell them both she was very much taken…

“So, by the way, I didn’t see what you brought Zoe,” Carter said, bringing her attention back to the man dancing her around. A flash of big and blond in the doorway caught her eye and she grinned up at Carter. 

“That’s because it just got delivered,” she informed him before ducking out of his hold and launching herself sideways. 

“Hi!” she chirped when Steve caught her easily. One arm wrapped around her waist, the other was holding a box above her head. He grinned down at her, bending to kiss her nose lightly. Darcy whisked the box out of Steve’s hand, aware the music had stopped as everyone stared at the newcomers. Ignoring that, she dragged Steve over to where Zoe was sitting, mouth agape, with her equally stunned mother. 

“Zoe Carter, this is Steve Rogers and Thor,” she introduced them as she felt more than saw Bucky come in to stand at Steve’s other side. “Steve, Thor, this is the birthday girl, Zoe Carter.” She pointedly didn’t introduce the girl’s mother, though the older woman was sitting on the arm of the chair Zoe was in. 

“Then I believe this is for you, Miss,” Steve said, taking the box back and handing it over. Zoe accepted it with slightly shaky hands, still staring. 

“What is it?” Carter finally asked, breaking the silence as he came to stand on his daughter’s other side. 

Steve glanced down at Darcy with an amused grin. “It’s a custom Lewis tazer,” he replied, eyes flickering back to the Sheriff. “Built by Tony and tested extensively by myself and the Black Widow. It packs a wallop.” 

“It’s made to be worn as a bracelet,” Darcy added as Nathan came over to investigate the device his cousin had built. Zoe had opened the box and was staring at the clunky purple thing that could take down even a super-soldier if need be. Maybe not for long, admittedly, but a few minutes was all someone really needed to get away. “Your dad said it was your favorite color.” 

“It also has a tracking device built in so if you ever need us, you can call,” Bucky added. Darcy made a mental note to tell the girl that was a built in thing and not something added specifically for her; Darcy’s was the same. 

“I’ll show you how to activate that part later,” she promised. “After I’ve called Tony and told him I’m gonna test it’s distance. I’d rather not have Iron Man freaking out on me tonight, if it’s all the same to you. I have plans for the night that do not include the walking tin-can.”

The Sheriff looked both horrified and relieved. She wondered briefly what he’d thought they’d give the sixteen year old. 

“Anthony built that?” Nathan said, hand reaching out. Before it even got close though, Zoe slapped his hand away and tugged the box in to her chest.

“Mine,” she informed him archly as Darcy and Bucky both cackled at the look on Nathan’s face. Even Carter and Blake’s lips were twitching. That seemed to break up the surprise and though everyone kept glancing at Thor and Steve, the music started again as Zoe thanked them all. 

“So, this is Eureka, huh?” Steve said lowly, one arm wrapping around Darcy’s waist as Thor and Jane took their own reunion outside. Bucky remained nearby, keeping an eye on everyone so they could be oblivious as they’d like. It wasn’t the first time he’d done this for them so it was becoming something of a routine. 

“Yup,” she agreed. 

“And that’s Tony’s cousin?” he asked, motioning to where Nathan and Blake were talking in the corner, him emphatically pointing at Zoe and her just as emphatically shaking her head no. Oh to be a fly on the wall to that conversation… 

“Yup.” 

“You’ve adopted him?” 

“Yup.” 

“And the Sheriff too?” 

“Yup.” 

“…One of these days you’re gonna stop adopting everyone you meet,” he informed her. 

“Nay, brother,” Thor said, coming in and hearing Steve. Jane was right behind him and looked thoroughly disheveled. Thor gazed fondly down at her. “She shall always adopt those who most need it. That is her greatest gift.” 

“And one I’m eternally grateful for,” Jane agreed, giving Darcy a grin. Darcy held out her arm and squeezed Jane’s hand tightly for a minute. 

“If only because it keeps Doc from blowing us all up,” Bucky cracked, sufficiently ruining the moment. 

“Steve, smack him,” Darcy ordered. “I’m too comfy and can’t reach.” 

“Hey!” Bucky yelped when Steve did just that. “You didn’t have to actually do it!” 

“Yeah, I did.” 

“Punk.” 

“Jerk.” 

~~*~~

“Someone had a good night,” Jo informed her the moment Darcy came into the station the next day. Steve and Thor had decided to stay for a few days, to check the place out for themselves and help Bucky develop strategies for a variety of scenarios they all thought she and Jane didn’t know about. She figured she should probably warn Carter, hence her visit. 

“Hmmm,” Darcy agreed, thinking back to the night before. Every room was soundproof—it was one of the requirements of Jane’s contract Darcy had insisted upon—so both couples had had a very good night indeed. Bucky, on the other hand, complained that morning at breakfast about having to sleep in the living room because yelling and screams may not penetrate the walls, but banging did. 

“So I take it Captain America is not as noble and honorable as the old stories make him out to be?” Jo pressed, looking decidedly wicked. 

“Well, he did grow up with Bucky as a best friend,” was all she said and watched as Jo laughed and then realized half-way through who she was laughing about. “You do realize he’s not a bad guy, right? He made a crack and he apologized—he actually has all the respect in the world for women in the army.” 

Hmmm,” Jo said and then immediately changed the subject, asking about Thor. 

“Him and Jane are back at Global,” she informed her. “I wish I was there if only because of the looks on everyone’s faces are bound to be hilarious—Thor’s included.” 

“What about the Captain and Barnes?” Carter asked, coming in with a coffee and his ex-wife. 

“Bucky is showing Steve around town,” she answered. “I’m supposed to meet them both at Cafe Diem in about half an hour.” 

“You know, I’m surprised Captain America is in a relationship again so soon,” Abby said, obviously unhappy about being ignored. “It must be hard on him, with everything so different.” 

“Well, he’s been here almost seven years now,” Jo broke in. “Hasn’t he?” 

“He has, yes,” she agreed, well aware of what the pyschiatrist was getting at. “And I’m not his first girlfriend since then—Sharon’s still a good friend to him, even though they imploded.”

“Still, this world must be so different and new…” Abby pressed. “Women in positions of power—” 

“Are actually not as surprising as everyone seems to think they are,” Steve himself said, coming in behind Abby and Carter. Out of the corner of her eye, Darcy saw Jo straighten slightly and give both men a curious once-over as they chuckled. Steve slid in next to Darcy and gave her a quick kiss on the foreheard before turning back to Abby. “You have to remember, I knew Peggy Carter.” 

“Howard told me she shot at you once,” Bucky chuckled. 

“She was checking the integrity of the shield,” Steve replied with a straight face that was completely at odds with the resigned amusement in his eyes.

“Sure, keep telling yourself that,” Bucky snorted. 

“Oh, I believe it,” Jack said, sticking up for Steve. “Aunt Peggy always did have a no-nonsense attitude.” 

The entire room went quite still. “…Aunt Peggy?” Darcy finally asked as both men were staring at the Sheriff in shock. Jack smiled wryly. 

“There was a reason my childhood obsession with all things Cap and the Commandos was so high,” he told her. To Steve he added, “Technically we were cousins—my granddad and her dad were brothers. Granddad moved to California shortly after the war and had my dad, who had me, but Granddad kept in close contact with his brother—and his niece. Granddad told me once that Zoe was probably going to be a lot like her.” 

“Was this before or after Zoe ran away?” Abby broke in, giving her husband—ex? Darcy wasn’t sure if they’d ever formally divorced—a dark look. Carter shifted uncomfortably but ultimately seemed to ignore it. 

“After,” he answered. He smiled at Steve and Bucky. “Said something about a story his brother told him about Peggy running away from the army with a scientist and a captain to save a bunch of captured soldiers.” 

Steve’s shock was fading and Darcy could just see the beginning of a smile on his face as the connection solidified. Bucky abruptly began chuckling, causing everyone to turn and stare at him. 

“From what I remember of Peggy, your Granddad was right—Zoe is just like her,” he told Jack. The sheriff grinned, absurdly pleased, while Jo smiled and Abby pursed her lips in annoyance. Darcy made a mental note to ask Carter at a later date what that was about—Abby didn’t seem thrilled with the idea of her daughter being like her relative, even though Peggy Carter was considered an amazing woman by pretty much the whole world. 

“I’m going to be in town for a few days,” Steve told the other man. “I’d…like to get to know you and your daughter, if that’s okay. I haven’t met much of Peggy’s family but…” 

“We were distant, I only ever saw her a few times growing up, but sure,” Carter said with a barely restrained grin.

“He’s going to be impossible after this,” Jo sighed from nearby as the two men fell to discussing Peggy. Darcy and Bucky both chuckled.


End file.
